Products are typically shipped to retailers in bulk by enclosing multiple individual product units in a container such as a carton or box. For example, canned soup may be shipped to a retailer in a box containing multiple cans. Then, a stock clerk typically removes the individual product units from the container and stacks them on a display unit, such as a shelf, thereby making the products available to consumers.
The process of removing products from shipping containers and stacking the products on a shelf can be quite time consuming. Specifically, the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model requires a stock clerk to obtain a package from the supplier, open the package, remove all of the product units from the open package, and stack each of the product units on a display unit. In the case of small, high volume products, such as canned foods, the amount of time required to neatly stock a display unit can become extensive, thereby significantly increasing a stores overall operating expenses.
Furthermore, products are often damaged during the stocking process. For example, the cutting blades used to open shipping containers during the stocking process have been known to unintentionally cut through product. Products that have been unintentionally cut during the stocking process may be more difficult to sell and, depending on the extent of the damage, may be unfit for sale.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue to seek alternatives to the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model in an effort to improve operating efficiency.